The top US envoy at the UN on Friday sharply criticized Russia for its continued aggression in Ukraine, demanding an end to the conflict and setting a 50-day deadline for a peace agreement.
Ambassador Dorothy Shea, acting US Representative, told the Security Council that more than 100 days had passed since the body called for a swift and lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine.
While acknowledging some positive steps, including prisoner exchanges facilitated by a Security Council resolution and talks in Saudi Arabia and Istanbul, Shea stated, “the progress we’ve seen has fallen far short of what is needed.”
Shea accused Russia of ignoring the Council’s appeals, saying Moscow “has continued to kill Ukrainian civilians.”
She cited Russian drone and missile strikes on “schools, playgrounds, apartment buildings, and nursing homes.”
She also highlighted Russia’s deployment of “thousands of DPRK troops to its front lines” and significant Russian military casualties.
Trump’s ultimatum
Echoing recent statements from US President Donald Trump, Shea asserted that there was “no military solution to this conflict.”
She then reminded that on July 14, Trump “put Russian President Vladimir Putin on notice to agree to a peace deal within 50 days.”
Shea warned that if Russia fails to halt its attacks within that period, “the United States is prepared to take further measures.”
While the exact nature of these “further measures” remains subject to further detail, White House officials have clarified that this could mean 100% tariffs on Russian goods, along with sanctions on countries that maintain trade relations with Russia
This aligns with a bipartisan bill in the US Senate, sponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), which proposes levying secondary tariffs of 500% on countries importing Russian oil, gas, petroleum products, or uranium.
China urged to halt dual-use exports
Shea called on all nations, specifically naming China, to “stop exports to Russia of dual-use goods that contribute to Russia’s war industrial base and enable its drone and missile attacks against Ukraine.”
She dismissed Beijing’s claims of strong export controls, stating that such assertions “fall apart in the face of daily recovery of Chinese-produced components in the drones, weapons, and vehicles that Russia uses against Ukraine.”
Reports indicate that Chinese-made drone engines are being covertly shipped to Russian manufacturers, disguised as “industrial refrigeration units,” to circumvent Western sanctions. The US and EU have repeatedly sanctioned companies in third-party countries, including China, for providing dual-use technology to Russia.
Shea concluded by urging all UN member states to “do our part to bring this war to an end.”